Welcome to Year 2
Year 2 Curriculum Overview
Year 2 is a year of discovery, creativity, and growing independence. Children consolidate their Key Stage 1 learning while developing confidence, problem-solving skills, and a love of learning across all subjects.
English
Children enjoy a wide range of stories, poetry, and picture books that inspire imagination and reflection. In the Autumn term, they read Orion and the Dark, Pattan’s Pumpkin, and The Lonely Beast, before exploring The Robot and the Bluebird, A Necklace of Raindrops, and 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World. Later texts include Claude in the City, Fox and the Star, and classics such as George’s Marvelous Medicine and The Twits. Through these stories, children develop reading fluency, comprehension, and writing skills, including sentence structure, descriptive writing, and creative storytelling.
Mathematics
Maths in Year 2 builds on number sense, addition and subtraction, and introduces multiplication and division. Pupils explore numbers within 100 and 1000, fractions, time, measures, capacity, and mass. They develop calculation strategies, problem-solving skills, and mathematical reasoning, with weekly KIRF challenges to reinforce key facts, including bonds to 20, doubles and halves, and times tables for 2, 5, and 10.
Science
Science encourages curiosity and investigation. Topics include living things and their habitats, microhabitats, everyday materials, animals (including humans), life cycles, and plant growth. Children engage in hands-on learning, including a longitudinal study observing how plants in the school grounds change over the year, making connections across scientific ideas.
Computing
Children develop digital literacy through online safety, understanding computers, programming with algorithms and debugging, data handling, word processing, and keyboard skills. Safer Internet Day is integrated to promote responsible and confident use of technology.
History & Geography
History helps children explore kings and queens, the story of flight, and global explorers who changed the world. Geography develops understanding of different environments, from hot and cold regions to the seaside, helping children understand people, places, and how the world varies across the globe.
PE
Physical education focuses on building coordination, strength, and teamwork. Children take part in fundamentals, yoga, gymnastics, dance, ball skills, invasion and striking games, net and wall games, and athletics, promoting confidence and enjoyment in physical activity.
Art, Design & Technology
Art and design include map-making, painting, mixed media, and sculpture with clay. Design and technology projects encourage creativity and problem-solving, such as building structures and exploring functional design.
Religion & World Views
Children explore questions about belief, gratitude, prophets, and places of worship. These lessons promote empathy, respect, and understanding of diverse traditions and moral values.
Music
Music develops rhythm, pitch, tempo, and dynamics. Children enjoy Christmas performances, whole-class recorder lessons, and activities that explore pitch, timbre, and rhythm, building both skill and confidence.
PSHE
PSHE supports children’s personal, social, and emotional development. Topics include family and relationships, health and wellbeing, safety, citizenship, and economic awareness, helping children build confidence, resilience, and independence.
Year 2 is a year of exploration and growth. Children consolidate their learning, develop key literacy and numeracy skills, and gain curiosity and confidence in science, history, geography, art, music, and physical activity. By the end of the year, they are well-prepared for Year 3, with a strong foundation for independent learning and a love of discovery.
To find out details of life in Year 2, please have a look at the curriculum map below.
Here are our wonderful Year 2 classrooms!
